Fisher Stevens directs three Hollywood legends in ‘Stand Up Guys.'

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In a town of spoiled directors, Fisher Stevens just became the most spoiled director in Hollywood.

The 49-year-old actor (“Short Circuit”) and Oscar-winning documentarian (“The Cove”) got the opportunity of a lifetime when he was hired to direct three screen legends in the film “Stand Up Guys,” which opens today.

Oscar winners Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin play aging gangsters out for one last night of revelry and criminal behavior.

“I'm so spoiled,” Stevens said. “It'll be hard to direct anything after this, but I'll try.”

Pacino plays a career criminal just released from prison after 28 years. Walken, his best friend, picks him up at the prison, and the friends eventually hook up with another old friend (Arkin).

Stevens will discuss what it was like to direct these Hollywood icons, how they worked together on the set and, most important, whether he ever asked Walken if he wanted “more cowbell.”

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: I know you have some history with these three great actors, but I was wondering how you were able to sleep at night before you started to direct them.

FISHER STEVENS: Sure, I was nervous. But the lucky thing for me was that I am an actor, and they look at me as an actor. We had an immediate language that we shared. I felt comfortable with them at times. Other times, my greatest fear was that I would say something that would totally derail a scene.

Q. I assume you had rehearsals before you started.

A. Not much before we started filming, but then Chris, Al and I would meet every Saturday and go over the next week's work. When Alan Arkin came to town, then he joined us, and that's when the magic started.

Q. What were they like to work with?

A. The thing that really inspired me about them was the amount of energy and effort they put toward the movie and to their roles. They struggled over every scene to make sure it felt right.

Q.
Even though you and Al have known each other for years, is it possible for you to look through the lens at Al Pacino and not see all the great roles he's played in his career?

A. I think I'm really lucky to know him so it is possible for me. I've known him for 20 years. I've hung out with him a lot.

Q. How did you meet?

A. I was doing a play at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, and Al came to see it. He was working with my girlfriend at the time. He really dug the play. We became friends and started playing poker together. He always has a coterie of actors around to do reading of plays and movies he's considering, and he invited me to be one of those actors. So I acted with him across a table for about five years.

Q.
Sounds exciting.

A. Yeah, it was pretty cool.

Q.
I interviewed Al once and he was very friendly, but he wouldn't buy into the legend at all. He simply refused to talk about himself in any iconic sense. I imagine that's how he is with fellow actors.

A. He's a really funny, entertaining guy. He'll tell stories, but he's just one of the guys. But he's Al Pacino for a reason. He's so smart. He's instinctive. And he sees everything. You can't get anything by him. If you try to get away with something while you're directing him, he'll call you on it.

Q. What's he like on the set?

A. He's always prepared. And he wanted to do things differently in different takes. Even if it was one word, he wanted to try it differently the next time. He was very interested in how that would change the definition of the scene.

Q.
Does it have more weight when Al Pacino is making a suggestion about making a change in a scene?

A. Not any more than Chris Walken or Alan Arkin (laughs).

Q. How far back do you go with Christopher Walken?

A. I met him about the same time I met Al, but I never hung out with him.

Q.
Describe his work process on the set.

A. Chris doesn't really read stage directions. It's all about the lines for him. He really gives you a lot. He'll put a totally different spin on a line every take. The thing that's so incredible about all three of these guys is how well they listen. Acting is a lot about listening.

Q.
You mean listening to what the other actor is saying?

A. Exactly. On every take, they hear and react to the dialogue as if they're hearing it for the first time. I've rarely seen that in any movie.

Q.
Had you ever met Alan Arkin before this film?

A. I did a movie with him 20 years ago in Brazil. I played his assistant in “Four Days in September.”

Q.
What's he like to work with?

A. The consummate professional. He came in, and we went over every line and worked on any line he felt needed changing. He's wonderful, and I hope he wins the Oscar (for “Argo”).

Q.
All four of you have won Oscars. Does that help the working environment?

A. There was this one night on the set. The three of them were in the car, and we had to change the camera angle. It was about 1 a.m. and I walked up and said, “OK, we're ready to go.” Then I notice that Al and Chris were crying. Tears were streaming down their faces from laughter. I poked my head in, and Alan was telling a story that was making them laugh so hard that they were convulsing. It was a wonderful moment, although it really screwed us up because it delayed us 15 minutes, and on a movie with this budget and limited time, 15 minutes was a setback. Still, anytime they talked about the old days was great.

Q.
Did you hear enough of Arkin's story to know what it was about?

A. Not really, but I think it was a Norman Jewison or Mike Nichols story. It almost didn't matter because when we weren't shooting, they were just talking and being comfortable with each other. It was that way from before we started filming, so that by the time we did start filming, everybody was comfortable. That's another thing I learned from them about acting. It's important for them to get to know each other before they start a film. When they get comfortable with each other, it feels natural when the camera starts rolling. They're not acting in a scene at that point, but they're doing real life.

Q.
Did they demand the same level of professionalism from the crew and the rest of the cast?

A. Absolutely. And everybody is more than willing to lift themselves to that level because it's Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin. Everybody respects these guys.

Q.
How did you get to direct these guys, if you don't mind me asking?

A. Tom Rosenberg, the producer, gave me the script and said I could direct it if I could cast it (laughs).

Q.
How long did it take to cast?

A. About nine months. Al and Chris were attached to it previously, but in the opposite roles.

Q.
How did it affect you that they already had been attached to it and turned it down?

A. It was weird. I hadn't seen Al in years, and they told me Al was out. I chased some other actors, but then Al called me out of the blue because I had produced a documentary on Woody Allen. He liked it and wanted me to do a documentary with him. I said no but I wanted him to read “Stand Up Guys” again. He said, “You're directing it?” And I said I was, and he paused for a moment and then said he would read it. I knew in that pause that he was in.

Q.
Obviously, you did a great job of casting. What does the audience get from having these icons in the movie?

A. As you said before, they're bringing the history of all their movies into this. You see that when you watch them. But it's not baggage; it's a gift.

Q.
One final question; were you ever tempted to say “More cowbell” to Chris?

A. No; he really hates that. A day doesn't go by that someone doesn't come up to him and say, “More cowbell.” That's the last thing I'd say.

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